Individuals who participate in sports such as football, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, wrestling, basketball, field hockey, motocross, martial arts and boxing use mouthguards to protect their teeth, tongue, jaw, lips, and brain from injury due to impact with other players, a ball, a puck, goal posts, the ground, and any number of possible objects with which the player's face or head may forcefully sustain an impact. In several sports, the participants wear helmets of varying designs, and players attach the mouthguards to these helmets using a rubberized strap or tether. The strap attaches to one end to the mouthguard and on the other end attaches to the face guard on the helmet or some other item on the helmet that allows attachment.
A shortcoming of the current way these mouthguards attach with a tether is that while engaged in the sport, another player may grab the tether, causing pain or discomfort when the mouthguard is pulled forcefully from the mouth of the player wearing it.
A second shortcoming is the lack of sanitation that occurs because the player must use his or her hand to remove and replace the mouthguard. When removed, the player often holds the mouthguard in his or her hand, which may have dirt, sweat, blood, sputum, chemicals, animal feces, or other unsanitary debris or fluid. When replaced in the player's mouth, these unsanitary materials may enter the player's mouth. In addition, the player should be able to hold the mouthguard in such a way that the player can sanitize it by spraying a sanitizing fluid over it.
The inventor has determined that there is a need for a sports mouthguard with a tether or strap that is different from those currently available. In particular, there is a need for a mouthguard with a tether that allows the player to easily insert and remove the mouthguard from a player's mouth without touching the mouthguard and introducing unsanitary debris or fluid into the individual's mouth. There is also a need for mouthguard with a tether that attaches the mouthguard to a helmet in such a way that the mouthguard may not be pulled forcefully from an individual player's mouth. The inventor has determined from research that for optimal use of a mouthguard with a tether, these features provide advantages for the user.